The Astoria. Your memories?

[Voley]

I never saw them when they toured Bleach but I'm with Jefe on this one as I'd have liked to have seen them then.

I would too, tbf. We had tickets for the Brixton ones that never happened. Any time to see them was good, really - the MTV film of the In Utero tour looked incredible.

 

[g force]

o5 even. a fucking class gig

05...seriously? Fuck

 

[twistedAM]

I would too, tbf. We had tickets for the Brixton ones that never happened. Any time to see them was good, really - the MTV film of the In Utero tour looked incredible.

But Bleach was before all that
I'm talking about the tour with TAD and Mudhoney before Nevermind came out.

 

[Voley]

Yeah I know. I'm just saying any time would've been good to see them. Bleach. Nevermind. In Utero, whatever. They were incredible live.

 

[Lazy Llama]

Mark Stewart
LA2 - Audio Active (proper On-U Sound night)

Yeah I was at those too.
I got horribly hammered at the Mark Stewart gig and stood with my head in the speakers for most of the gig.

I think my ears are still ringing.

 

[damnhippie]

hmm not many...

the first and only time i saw Mogwai live was there, it was pretty incredible.

getting ruined on free booze, surrounded by scandinavian rockers at a godawful metal magazine awards ceremony.

 

[Sunspots]

I went to see Mark Stewart/On U at least once at The Astoria too. Probably would've been in '86/87-ish, but I can't rightly recall.

Also vague memories of Sonic Youth touring Daydream Nation, supported by Die Kreuzen, in '88. I've looked it up, and they played two nights, one with Dinosaur Jnr as the third support, the other night with Rapeman. I can't for the life of me remember which I saw though.

My memory's shot to shit...

I never liked The Astoria though. As I remember it, maybe the stage was quite high up, but it always felt like a steep-sided pit of a venue.

 

[belboid]

saw shitloads of great gigs there, not a great venue, but always great bands. The Fall the night England got knocked out of Euro 96 was probably my fave.

And the scariest moshpit I've ever been in, a Foetus gig, a year or so before the fall one, madasfuck it was

 

[twistedAM]

Has anyone mentioned a gig this decade yet?

 

[editor]

Has anyone mentioned a gig this decade yet?

Yes. Amy Winehouse. Feb 2007.

 

[twistedAM]

Yes. Amy Winehouse.

Forgot that post.
Is that the best it's done in the 00s?

ETA...There was the Darkness one too but most people's memories seem to be of the 90s. Maybe with the increases in attendance for live music this decade the Academy and bigger venues got more shows

 

[skyscraper101]

The only truly mindblowing gig I went to at the Astoria was Underworld headlining the Junior Boys Own party. I was too young to see anything like Nirvana.

 

[rhod]

Stereophonics were great

Octopus & Mundy - a bit shit.

Lighting Seeds? - can't remember - must have left early!

 

[Geri]

Front 242

I was at that gig

 

[El Jefe]

saw shitloads of great gigs there, not a great venue, but always great bands. The Fall the night England got knocked out of Euro 96 was probably my fave.

with Coldcut, i think?

 

[El Jefe]

Forgot that post.
Is that the best it's done in the 00s?

ETA...There was the Darkness one too but most people's memories seem to be of the 90s. Maybe with the increases in attendance for live music this decade the Academy and bigger venues got more shows

Saw loads of Astoria shows this decade - Cramps, Gallows, lots of punk gigs, Richard Hawley, Le Tigre, etc etc etc

 

[belboid]

with Coldcut, i think?

that was the beggar. Mark E came on late - having obviously waited for the denouement of the match - and looked genuinely happy throughout.

At one point he seemed to go 'shit, I'm Mark E Smith, I'm meant to walk off in a strop', and did so, returning with a humongous grin all over his face

 

[dlx1]

Return of the Jedi - Film Premier one of the 1st kids in my school to see.
The Orb with a live orchestra
See Ozric a fu time there.
Prime scream to I think.

 

[mhwfc]

Super Furry Animals around when Radiator came out, supported by Mogwai and Arab Strap

 

[disco_dave_2000]

Being a raver - my favorite memory was visiting for the first time in 1988 when Nicky Holloway put on an acid house night called 'Trip'. We suddenly realised that something was happening and loads of folks from smaller clubs and all parts of London headed up here for the biggest parties in town. Only was on for about 6 Saturdays in a row that summer but definately changed London clubland (for the better imho)

 

[DeadManWalking]

Only been a few times, I never seemed to get along with security. The first time was to see the Dead Kennedy's probably about 5 years ago, second time was to see Goldie Lookin' Chain and the last was to see Dead Silence Syndicate at the final of battle of the bands, I got barred for attempting to nick beer from behind the bar. A great gig, DSS really deserved to win and the judges knew theirs was an unpopular decision when beer cans rained down on them as the results were announced.

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

Jesus Lizard was my favourite. (about 93 I think)

 

[_pH_]

went there quite a bit although i can't remember many of the bands i might have seen

saw Black Uhuru which was pretty loads of dealers trying to sell weed quite openly

 

[_pH_]

TG Ltd (i.e. Psychic TV impersonating TG) - at this after hours thing they used to do on Fridays called Apocaylpse or something.

i may have been at the gig prior to that, some godawful metal band iirc Exodus maybe? everyone was queuing for TG as we left. didn't stay though as a) i'd never heard of TG at the time and b) there was a hardcore punk all nighter at the old Waterloo Fire Station squat to get to!

 

[joevsimp]

Has anyone mentioned a gig this decade yet?

Apocalyptica, december just gone, the whole place moshing over metallica songs (and then Hall of the Mountain King as a closer) played by a bunch of Finns playing Cello's

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Also vague memories of Sonic Youth touring Daydream Nation, supported by Die Kreuzen, in '88. I've looked it up, and they played two nights, one with Dinosaur Jnr as the third support, the other night with Rapeman. I can't for the life of me remember which I saw though.

ah yes! I was at the Rapeman night - I remember this cos I got leafleted on the way in by a woman who was protesting about their name (which was fair enough).

Looks like I also saw Mudhoney there (Dec 1989) and Neubauten (Sept 89) and Christian Death (wtf? Dec 1989, don't remember that at all, just found the ticket).

(I just found an envelope full of gig tickets the other day, which has certainly rekindled some memories...)

 

[Fozzie Bear]

i may have been at the gig prior to that, some godawful metal band iirc Exodus maybe? everyone was queuing for TG as we left. didn't stay though as a) i'd never heard of TG at the time and b) there was a hardcore punk all nighter at the old Waterloo Fire Station squat to get to!

Ha ha, yeah I went to the Fire Station once - wasn't it a Mutoid Waste place?

 

[Lionman]

Has anyone mentioned a gig this decade yet?

Last thing I saw there was LCD Soundsystem last year (or maybe the year before). It was banging.

 

[twistedAM]

Last thing I saw there was LCD Soundsystem last year (or maybe the year before). It was banging.

Bet it was. I never get uptown much. Also would have loved to have seen Apocalyptica as mentioned above.

 

[Artie Fufkin]

loads of great memories including Smashing Pumpkins (Siamese Dream tour), Pavement, early Oasis gig, Eminem, etc

the gig that really stands out was a Blur gig that was a tribute to a Music Week journalist who died. went with El Jefe (who knew journo) and it was the first time I'd seen Blur live - it was an utterly incredible night.